ARE YOU BEAUTIFUL ENOUGH? Redefining Beauty

So what is beauty? Can beauty be defined by our weight, skin tone, height, body shape or age? Or can it be defined by all that is going on in media, in movies, in advertisements or in trends? Beauty, as defined by the Oxford dictionary, is ‘A combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.’ It basically means that someone/something is beautiful only when it pleases our eyes (sight). So, what pleases our eyes? We will get to the answer by the end.

Not only this, beauty has been defined by various parameters across cultures. Having grown up in society which talks about beauty mostly on the superficial level of physical features, it becomes difficult to truly understand the meaning of ‘beauty’. Or, is beauty all about makeup which makes you feel younger, smoother, structured and so on?

Basically, the idea of beauty we understand is the definition that has been conditioned in our minds, primarily by the society and media. Also, remember the various parameters used to define beauty across cultures? So, it is natural for us to look upto ourselves through the eyes of the trending beautyproducts, through the eyes of other people, our experiences, our conditioning. Thus, it becomes difficult to realise and understand real beauty. People too try to tell us what is beautiful and what is not: say, that you are fat and you need to be slim to be beautiful. You need to be fair to be beautiful. I remember during my teenage years I had almost grown obsessed with wanting to lose my weight thinking I would be loved and appreciated if I was thinner and slimmer(Had I known that I was beautiful enough anyway).

Being beautiful is something you can feel, something that makes you feel good, is something like nature. Being beautiful is not just about having a clear skin and good physique, where skincare and exercise is the reason you feel good about yourself. These two are completely different things and shouldn’t be jumbled. Beauty is accepting who you are and keeping a space to become more loving and kinder human being, with time. A person who spreads love, compassion and kindness is beautiful. Beauty is what is within us, the spirit, the kindness we show to ourselves and others, the empathy and understanding. 

And, obviously, then there are things that can make us feel beautiful. It can be as simple as a smile and happy face. For me, it is a simple holistic skincare routine, minimal makeup and, viola!

Listen:

 If makeup makes you feel beautiful...do it.

If skincare makes you feel beautiful...do it.

If wearing pretty dresses makes you feel beautiful ...do it.

If staying in your bed in pj’s makes you feel beautiful...do it.

If reading a book makes you feel beautiful...do it.

.......do anything that makes you feel beautiful, every day. Because at the end, all that matters is how you see yourself. Trust me.

Now is some exercise time: grab a notebook and a pen and write down

I feel beautiful when______________________.

As for me, I feel beautiful when I indulge in some holistic skin care regime, read a good book or listen to a manifesting podcast. I feel beautiful when I see that I can do a task with all my confidence, leaving behind my insecurities. I feel beautiful whenever I look back and see so many lessons that I learnt without giving up on hope, love and kindness. Learning about beauty is a part of growing up...in different stages of love and life, we understand different definitions of beauty. And, I am glad to be alive and to experience all that makes a human beautiful.

Remember the question ‘What pleases the eye?’

Whatever pleases the heart pleases the eye. If our heart/soul/spirit is not pleased, no physical beauty can ever be enough. Once our heart finds the solace that is when it will please us wholly.

Appreciate yourself and you will inevitably see the beautiful person you are. All that we need is to believe in ourselves and accept the person we are, leaving behind all the comparisons, judgments, negative self talk and expectations.

Thanks for stopping by.

Xoxo. Shilpa